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What are you grateful for? The Savannah Morning News Gratitude Project
Throughout October staff from the Savannah Morning News visited the Forsyth Farmer’s Market to ask people what they were grateful for.
A resident in Richmond Hill recently saw the return of $84,000 lost after falling victim to cryptocurrency theft.
According to a press release by The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia, the individual had unauthorized transactions in a cryptocurrency address which the resident owned. More than $120,000 was stolen. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case after it was reported and began following the paper trail of evidence, which led to a number of individuals overseas, including in Cambodia.
“Earlier this year, the property was forfeited through a federal civil forfeiture case in Savannah,” reads the press release. “Throughout the investigation and court proceedings, the FBI worked with the victim to advance the investigation and to return the net proceeds of the cryptocurrency after forfeiture and liquidation.”
Margaret E. Heap, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Georgia, said her team worked in conjunction with the FBI and the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section to sieze the stolen funds.
“This case demonstrates my office’s commitment to helping victims of crime,” said Heap. “By using civil asset forfeiture, we can expeditiously recover as much stolen money as possible and return this money to victims. Although it can be difficult to come forward and admit that you were a victim of a crime, we stand ready to help you to the fullest extent possible. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will work with the victims in these cases and with the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section to properly return forfeited assets to eligible victims.”
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Georgia encourages anyone who thinks they have been a victim of a cybercrime to file a complaint in the Internet Crime Complaint Center. Contact the U.S. Attorney’s Office at (912) 652-4422 for questions.
Latrice Williams is a general assignment reporter covering Bryan and Effingham County. She can be reached atlwilliams6@gannett.com.